Updated
The Australian Federal Police is warning evidence could be lost or contaminated unless a new forensic centre is built in Canberra.
The current facility at Weston is Australia's only federal forensic centre and one of only two with fully integrated forensic capabilities.
But the AFP has told the Federal Parliament's Public Works Committee that it is unable to use modern forensic techniques because its current facility at Weston is not up to scratch.
Background contamination at the facility prevents the use of specialist DNA analysis such as 'low copy number', culturing of micro-organisms, and trace element profiling requiring clean rooms.
In some cases, the AFP has been forced to send evidence to New Zealand for examination, increasing time and cost of analysis.
The reliability of forensic evidence is also being put at risk by contamination.
"In the face of rapidly increasing demand for forensic services and inadequate facilities that do not have the capacity to house efficient modern techniques and processes, it is inevitable that delays in evidence processing will occur as well as instances where there is a risk through loss or contamination of forensic evidence," the submission said.
The AFP warns the situation will be exacerbated by the anticipated growth in forensic services and staff numbers.
"In the absence of investment in an enhanced forensic facility, experience from Victoria and overseas suggests that it is not a question as to whether those problems would emerge for the AFP, but rather when those problems would emerge and the magnitude of the costs that they would impose on the community," the submission said.
The AFP is proposing a new $106 million purpose-built centre be built at Majura by 2015 to accommodate operations for 20 years.
It says the current facility cannot be refurbished to reduce contamination.
Topics: police, act, canberra-2600, weston-2611
First posted
No comments:
Post a Comment